Henry Sibley High School has named senior Greta Prokosch the school’s 2017 St. Paul Area Athena Award winner for her achievements in academics and athletics. Prokosch, a captain of three varsity sports, will be recognized with other award winners from across the east metro at the 23rd annual St. Paul Area Athena Awards Luncheon on April 19.

“I was so surprised and excited to receive the Athena Award,” said Prokosch. “It felt great to be recognized for my commitment to athletics and academics. At the same time, I know that many of my classmates and friends are equally worthy of receiving this award. I am very honored to have been selected.”

Prokosch was chosen as the winning nominee by a committee of coaches from Henry Sibley. During her high school career, Prokosch’s primary sports were tennis, Nordic skiing and golf. Throughout her years of competition, she amassed 12 varsity letters, six cumulative Metro East All-Conference awards and three all-conference honorable mention awards. Prokosch was also named Most Valuable Player for the girls’ tennis team as a freshman, junior and senior. This past winter, Prokosch, a two-year team captain, helped lead the team to a 13th place finish at the 2017 State Nordic Ski Race. The team’s trip to State was a highlight for Prokosch.

“My favorite part of my senior year so far has probably been qualifying as a team for State,” said Prokosch. “My friends and I on the girls’ Nordic ski team have been working towards that goal for many years, and it was so amazing to be able to accomplish it together during our senior year.”

In addition to her many athletic achievements, Prokosch was named an Advanced Placement (AP) Scholar, awarded to students who complete three or more AP exams with score of three or higher, and a National Merit Commended Scholar, an honor given to only 34,000 out of 1.6 million students based on scores from the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The Minnesota Tennis Coaches Association also presented Prokosch with an Academic All State award for her commitment to academics.

Prokosch participates in other activities at Henry Sibley including student council, National Honor Society, Chamber Orchestra and Philharmonic Orchestra, where she is section leader for violin. She received a superior rating at the Solo-Ensemble Festival as both a sophomore and a junior, as well as won the 2016 Minnesota Music Teacher’s (MMTA) Piano Contest.

Away of school, Prokosch devotes time volunteering as a tennis instructor for the Mendota Heights Summer Recreation program and a Nordic ski instructor for the Minnesota Youth Ski League. She is also a peer minister at her church, where she plans youth events and teaches Sunday school to preschoolers.

After graduating from Henry Sibley, Prokosch has plans to attend St. Olaf College to pursue a biology degree in hopes of attending medical school.

“I hope to someday become a doctor so that I can make a meaningful impact on people’s lives,” said Prokosch.

In addition to being a full-time student, Prokosch also plans to continue her athletic career as part of the women’s tennis team and possibly the Nordic ski team.